The Spanish Steps and the Piazza di Spagna are one of the must-sees for Tourists in Rome. During the day both the Piazza and the Steps are flooded with people and even during the evening there are still many around. Currently, during spring/early summer the flowers are blooming and create, in combination with a cloudless sky, an even more picturesque atmosphere of Rome.
The Spanish Steps of Rome
The Spanish Steps of Rome are probably one of the most famous staircases in the world. They were built in just 2 years, between 1723 and 1725. The Piazza below already existed a hundred years earlier, with the construction of the fountain by the father of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Pietro Bernini. Before the steps were constructed, the area was just some wildly overgrown hillside and was not considered respectable enough for the rest of the city. Very famous is nowadays also the Babington’s tea room on the left side of the steps. It’s a traditional English tea shop that already exists since 1893 and it was a hotspot for the cultural and creative movement in the past two hundred years.
Spanish Steps during the Day – Afternoon
I first approached the Steps from the Villa Borghese Metro Station, via Via Sistina, which led me to the Top of the Steps and the church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti. From there you can overlook, one of the luxurious shopping streets, Via dei Condotti, with all the high-fashion labels, and a panorama of the St. Peters Cathedral and Vatican City. On top, there are several people who want to sell you little stuff like Selfie-Sticks or Roses or want to paint you, but if you don’t want it, just say clearly and loud No! and they will go away.
At the foot of the Spanish Steps, at the Piazza di Spagna, there is the Fontana della Barcaccia, also known as the Fountain of the Ugly Boat. The story behind this fountain is that in 1598 after the river Tiber often flooded, a boat was left behind in the middle of the square after the water withdrew. The Fontana della Barcaccia was completed in 1627 and was once commissioned by Pope Urban VIII.
Scroll down for my Pictures and Impressions of a visit to the Spanish Steps right after the sunset.
Spanish Steps during the Night – late evening
During the late evening, it was around 8 pm, when I again approached the are in front of the Trinità dei Monti the setting sun was in its latest stages of finally going down. The sky was still a bit purple but already dark blue, a very nice scene and with a great romantic panorama on Rome. You will find more Impressions of this pretty scenery in my “24 hours in Rome” article that you can find here: Travel Diary: 24h in Rome in May.
If you wondered how Rome, and the Spanish Steps, look like when covered with snow you should definitely check out curiouscatexpat.com.
